When Sonic the Hedgehog sped onto the Sega Genesis in 1991, the game was met with rave reviews and great sales. Inevitably, many publishers and developers saw the success of Sega's marsupial, spawning a trend of mascot platformers.
While some efforts, such as Konami's Sparkster and Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot, managed to put their own spin (no pun intended) on the formula, many others tried in vain to match Sonic's attitude and gameplay mechanics. While the genre isn't quite dead thanks to recent successes, such as A Hat in Time and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, some characters are better left in the past.
10 Gex Is The Least offensive Entry On This List
Gex manages to avoid being higher on this list by virtue of having some decent games and being less annoying than some of his contemporaries, but not by much. While the idea of enlisting a well-regarded comedian like Dana Gould to write and portray a snarky mascot character seemed fine on paper, the actual in-game one-liners will provoke more groans than guffaws.
While it may not be enough to ruin his games, Crash Bandicoot co-creator Jason Rubin cited the gecko's loquacious nature as the reason he chose to make Jak mute in the first Jak and Daxter title.
9 Bubsy Is The poster Child Of Failed Mascots
Conceived by Infocom writer Michael Berlyn, Bubsy the Bobcat tried in vain to match the success of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog. The Bobcat's debut title, Claws of the Furried Kind, suffered from some dubious design choices such as one-hit kills, fall damage, and a character that outran the screen, making it impossible to see hazards and enemies.
From there, every subsequent title only got worse and worse, culminating in the atrocious Bubsy 3D. Not even the talents of voice-over legend Rob Paulsen could salvage his cringe-worthy jokes and catchphrases.
8 Bug! Is A Pest In More Ways Than One
With quips so bad even Gex would be embarrassed, nobody mourned this bug when he got squashed. In a pre-Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot world, the first Bug! could make a reasonable case for purchase with its adequate level design and then-novel polygonal environments mixed with its pre-rendered characters. However, by the time the sequel rolled out, it was trounced by every other 3D platformer on the market.
His constant chatter and tendency to wave his posterior towards the camera make this cartoon insect a pest in more ways than one.
7 Scaler Manages To Be More Annoying Than Gex
Bobby "Scaler" Jenkins is yet another wisecracking cartoony mascot character with an obnoxious character design and grating voice. While his lizard form isn't too shabby looking, his human form perfectly encapsulates everything out of touch executives in their forties think kids find "cool" with his spiky hair and skater get up.
While Gex, another scaly mascot character, was singled out for his annoying voice-overs and quips, Scaler manages to be even more annoying than him with his unfunny one-liners and burp jokes. The gameplay offers little that players haven't already experienced in Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank.
6 Punky Skunk Isn't Exactly As Advertised
Ukiyotei fought an uphill battle crafting an endearing mascot character out of a creature so reviled as a skunk. When the character was unveiled at Shoshinkai 1995, he was known as Cooly Skunk.
In America, the character was turned into Punky Skunk and promoted as a mascot with attitude. However, this aforementioned 'tude is completely absent to anyone who actually gets their hands on the controls. It's no surprise that this game was originally developed with the Super Nintendo in mind, because the visuals aren't exactly pushing the limits of the original PlayStation.
5 Wild Woody Should Be Erased
Released in the dying days of the Sega CD add-on, Wild Woody is a game and mascot so bad, they both warrant a quick look just for a good derisive laugh. The compressed pre-rendered cutscenes sport some of the most absurd and chaotic facial animations this side of a Collins College commercial.
The main game is equally atrocious with obtuse power-ups, unresponsive controls, and confusing level design. The game makes the most of its CD Redbook audio with its annoying soundtrack and speech. The game did little to make a case for Sega's doomed peripheral.
4 Vexx Doesn't Know What It's Going For
The designers at Acclaim have stated that the character design for Vexx was conceived around the gameplay mechanics instead of the other way around, and it sure shows. The design of this mascot is completely at odds with itself.
On the one hand, it tries so hard to be edgy with the fangs, claws, and snarling grimace, but he's also a generic cuddly elf character with wide eyes and big ears. It's a blessing that this character was mute. With so many other great platformers on the market at the time, Vexx wasn't enough to save the soon-to-be shuttered studio.
3 Rocky Rodent Is Just Lame
Rocky the Rodent was a dine and dasher tasked with saving a restaurant owner's daughter from the mafia. He looked like a 90's version of Robert McKimson's Weasel character in the Foghorn Leghorn shorts. Developed by Irem, the game is a substandard 2D platformer that tries desperately to ape Sonic.
The main gameplay mechanic is getting bizarre haircuts that allow Rocky to pull off different moves, such as picking up enemies and throwing projectiles. Besides making this already repellant character look even more ridiculous, their appearance does little to convey what abilities Rocky can pull off.
2 Socket Is a Duck With A Plug Coming Out Of His Behind
Developer Vic Tokai apparently thought that the best response to Sonic the Hedgehog would be a duck with a plug coming out of his behind. Unlike other cartoon mascot animal characters that only borrowed a few elements from Sega's blue marsupial, Socket's gameplay formula is essentially the same with the slopes, bumpers, and emphasis on speed found in the former.
The plug posterior is the one original element in this substandard Genesis knock-off. Really, there is little worth noting other than he's a duck with a plug attached to his butt.
1 Awesome Possum Was Anything But
Awesome Possum ticks all the boxes for a lousy mascot character. Annoying voice? Check. Obnoxious design? Check. Bad game? Check. While the aim of getting children to be more environmentally conscious is a noble endeavor, Sonic the Hedgehog did a much better job at that by putting those ecological themes in the background instead of the forefront and not sacrificing quality gameplay for intrusive quiz sections.
Even though the aforementioned blue blur didn't have a big holiday release planned for 1993, Tengen's character had absolutely no chance at any sort of relevancy.